Top FiveChris Rock's hints of amusing perspective towards the details of the world is present in each of its character and is also the reason why Top Five is one of those rare features that has a unique concept, edgy characters, funny dialogues and a twisted love story.

Top 5 is a comedy starring Chris Rock as a comedian turned major celebrity and his attempts to reinvent himself and his career with a serious drama that he believes will help him prove to himself and the world that he's not just another funnyman. If you're sitting around thinking to yourself that this summary sounds strangely similar to the plot of Birdman, well you're right! This happens to be yet another example of Hollywood coming up with similar ideas for films at the same time and I know some of you are thinking, "well if this movie is the same as Birdman and this one stars Chris Rock, who's track record in film is far below stellar, then I'll skip it." Well I'll tell you this, you should definitely reconsider because against all odds, for the first time in many years, Chris Rock delivers! From what I understand, Chris Rock took a different approach to making this movie and it really shows. His previous films showed a lot of signs of a movie made by committee with a lot of pulled punches and soft comedy that seemed much less caustic and biting than Rock's stand-up or anything seen in Rock's 90's sketch comedy in The Chris Rock Show. This movie however, was done with Rock squarely in the driver's seat acting as the writer, director and star and he does a good job in all respects creating a comedy showcase that had me laughing out loud in the theater and overall just out and out thrilled that old school Chris Rock was back and truly better than ever. Perhaps the best thing about the movie is that Rock is not alone in this film. Some pretty big names came out to help carry this movie including Gabrielle Union who plays Rock's fiancé, Rosario Dawson who plays an interviewer trying to get his life story and dozens and dozens of other comedians that drop in here and there to fill out the cast. The comedians really make this movie. Cedric the Entertainer, JB Smoove, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan and many other names great and small are here that I can't even begin to tell you about them all and they each do their part to contribute a verse to this kick-ass movie. Another good thing about this movie is the fact that it isn't afraid to tell edgy jokes or show nudity like so many great comedies in the 80s did. Nothing is off limits and nothing is too sacred or taboo to poke fun at. It's comedy with teeth and I loved it from start to finish. If I had to say anything bad about it I would have to say that it does have a bit of a time juggling all the balls it has in the air but by the end, all the loose ends are tied up in a pretty sweet package.On the whole, I really enjoyed this movie and if you're a fan of comedy and stand-up comedians then you'll like this one too. Top Five gets a 4...out of 5.

This movie is actually very good....Chris Rock is epic at delivering his one-liner's through out this as though he's in standup mode, it's well shot, its funny and has a hint of NYC-esque Woody Allen moments throughout...It deals well with reality TV crap behind the scenes and has epic cameo's from Jerry Seinfeld to Tracy Morgan, some references will get lost on you if you don't have a basic understanding of African American history and Hip Hop but I can honestly say Chris Rock is very good as is most of the cast...Haters gonna hate but then check how many other negative reviews they do....I bought this on DVD...!More of these I say...:)

Review: This movie felt more like a documentary than a feature film because it's about Chris Rock going around New York with a journalist before he's due to get married to his money hungry girlfriend. Whilst going around New York introducing his family and friends to the journalist, he questions his ability to be a comedian because a lot of his previous work was done when he was an alcoholic. He decides to take on a serious film about slavery but it doesn't really go down well with his fans. With all of the pressure of stardom surrounding him, Chris Rock finds his true self when he sees the comedians on stage and the laughter from the audience makes him feel right at home. Personally, I really didn't find this movie that funny and a lot of the script is totally pointless. You can definitely tell that Chris Rock wrote and directed this movie because of the usual black jokes and the whole top five rappers of all time theme but the film felt like it was going nowhere right from the beginning. I've always found Chris Rocks comedy quite annoying, along with his squeaky voice, so I should have known what to expect before I watched it. I liked the fact that he brought loads of other comedians into the project and the scenes with his family were quite funny but I was expecting much better from a comedian that has been in the game since the early 80's. Disappointing!Round-Up: Although I didn't really enjoy this film, it's always good to see a man make a profit in the tough movie world. At the unbelievable age of 50, Chris Rocks acting career started in 1985 in a movie called Krush Groove, as a person just standing in the street and then he progressed to actually having lines in Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987 with his idol, Eddie Murphy. He then had a brief appearance in Miami Vice in '87 and then he had a role in the very funny I'm Gonna Git You Sucka in '88. If your into black cinema then you will remember him as Pookie in New Jack City in '91 and then his acting career blossomed whilst still going around the clubs performing his stand-up. At the age when black cinema was booming, he starred alongside his idol Eddie Murphy again in Boomerang and played the lead in the funny CB4 which was a comedy that was based on the group NWA. After that he added his voice to Dr. Dolittle as Rodney the gerbil and he had a major role in Lethal Weapon 4 and Dogma. In 2000 he starred alongside Morgan Freeman in Nurse Betty and he played the lead in the disappointing Down to Earth, which didn't go down well with audiences but he bounced back in the popular Pootie Tang, which I found really amusing and he starred alongside Anthony Hopkins in Bad Company. He then starred alongside the late, great Bernie Mac in the disappointing Head of State in 2003, which he also directed and he starred alongside his long time friend Adam Sandler in the Longest Yard. After that he decided to turn to animation and he voiced Marty in the popular Madagascar franchise before directing I Think I Love My Wife in 2007, which I was quite disappointed with. After another Madagascar movie, he narrated Everybody Hates Chris from 2005-2009 and he teamed up with Adam Sandler again in the Grown Ups franchise, which I didn't really find that funny. He also starred alongside some funny stand-up comedians like Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan and Kevin Hart in Death at a Funeral and he played the lead in the disappointing 2 Days in New York and What to Expect When Your Expecting after releasing another Madagascar and Grown Ups movie, that finally brings you up to date to this film. You can definitely tell that he has had an amazing career that has grossed over $2Billion at the box office. He didn't take the easiest route to stardom but at 50 years old, he really does have a lot to look back on, in terms of the amount of work he has dedicated to cinema. My hat goes of to him! Budget: $12million Worldwide Gross: $25.5millionI recommend this movie to people who are into their comedy/romance movies about a comedian whose been followed around by a journalist to discuss why he has turned to serious films after being a comedian for so many years. 3/10